Proportional water-meter



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D A. SUTHERLAND.

PROPORTIONAL WATER METER.

No. 351,721. Patented 0013.26, 1886.

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I; l I I WITNESSES: INVENTB L g d z b I Aida) N. PETERS, Pnmum m hm; Washington. u. c.

no Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2-.

D.A.SUTH ERLAND.

PROPORTIONAL WATER METER.

No. 351,721. Patnted Oct. 26,, 1886.

WITNE SES: v IN ENTUK:

C. (ubCvn o. ,4 2 (2 1 lfu N, PEYERS. Phololihughphcn Wasllinglom n. C.

(No Model.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 3. D. A. SUTHERLAND.

. PROPORTIONAL WATER METER.

No. 351,721. Patented Oct. 26, 1886.

WlENESESZ NVENTIiI PQ idoa\n UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL A. SUTHERLAND, or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

.PROPOVRTIONAL WATER-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,721, dated October 26, 1886. Application filed February 1, 1886. Serial No. 190,549. (No model.)

LAND, of Lynn, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in \Vater-Meters, of

which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide means wherebythe quantity of fluid taken from a reservoir or pipe and delivered at some near or remote point of delivery may be conveniently and accurately determined.

The nature and construction of this invention are fully described and specifically claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention complete. This view comprises the distributing device in central vertical section, the measuring device, the connecting-pipes for conveying iiuid to and from the same, also a tank, a float, and connecting mechanism for opening and closing the ports of the distributer. All of these mechanisms are specifically described hereinafter. Fig. 2 is a plan View of a'section of the distributor, made on dotted line at x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation representing the measuringbuckets and the mechanism for working the register- (Not shown.) Fig. 4. is a perspective view of the measuringbuckets detached. Fig. 5-is a side elevation of the distributing device detached and partly sectioned to show the interior chamber thereof, and directly above the distributer is also shown inthis view the follower or spigot that operates in thisinterior chamber of the distributer. Fig. 6 is also a side elevation showing a modified form of distributer.

The distributor A is preferably composed of non-corrosive material. It is formed with an interior chamber, B, leading into which is'an induction-passage, a, and leading from which are two or more, preferably a series of, eduction-ports, e. The eduction-ports are preferably made equal to each other in size, as shown in Fig. 5. The bottom end of this distributer is inclosed ina conical-shaped shell or casing, F, as shown in Fig. 1. passes through the side of this shell and enters directly into the passage or channel a, thereby conveying the fluid directly into the cham- The supply-pipe F ber of the distributer, from which it escapes through the eduction-ports 6 into the chamber of the casing E, and passing downward it is conducted away by the delivery-pipe H to the delivery-faucet. Communicating with one of the eduction-ports eis the pipe m, by which all fluid exhausted through such port is conducted to a measuring device, (to be described hereinafter,) and the quantity thereof being ascertained by measurement, we have only to multiply this quantity by the number of the eductionports, all the ports being equal, to get the whole amountthat passesthrough the distributer while this measured quantity. was passing through the pipe at. a

The interior chamber of the distributor is formed to receive the follower or spigot N, and the top of the chamber-is closed by acover or cap, P. The follower is allowed slight vertical movement in the chamber when the cap is screwed down. This follower is designed for opening and closing the ports of the distributer. When the follower is up, as in Fig. 1, the ports are all wide open, and,obviously, when the follower is depressed to the bottom of the chamber, the said ports are all closed, and as the ports are made of equal size vertically, at least, they willbe opened and closed simultaneously in whole or in part by the upand-down movement of the follower. It is only necessary for the follower to move sufticiently to cover the ports and lift away again, and if it is limited to this movement the dura bility thereof must be great.

The follower is provided with an annular groove, 21, in its bottom face that corresponds with a similar groove in thebottom of the distributer. This groove'is designed for precomes down quickly.

Under the follower is a washer, 20, composed of hard rubber or other similar mate rial, that serves as a cushion for the follower. Connected to the follower, and extended upward therefrom through the cap 1?, is a rod or spindle, 4, on which is a spring, 5. This spring otherend presses upward against a collar on the rod, and thus operates to lift the rod and consequently the follower, in order to open the ports of the distributor, as referred to hereinafter. vOn the end of said rod 4. is an antibears, one end upon the cap 1?, and with its venting awaterhammcr when the follower .the bucketthat is, allow friction wheel that bears upward on the periphery of cam 6,which is mounted on a rock shaft, '7. This shaft is mounted in a suitable supporting-frame, as shown, and from the cam is extended a rod, 9, having on its bottom end a float, 10, which is located in a tank, T, and it may be lifted, by water rising in the tank, so as to turn the cam 6, thereby depress the rod 4., and consequently the follower N, and close the ports of the distributer. Obviously, when the level of the waterin the tank is lowered, the float will fall with it, and the follower will be again lifted by the spring 5, as before. The tank T is connected by a pipe, S, with the delivery-pipe H, and from the foregoing description it will be understood that when the fluid enters the distributer through the induction-passage a, it passes out through the ports e, and thence down through the case E into the delivery-pipe H. If the deliverypipe faucet or exhaustis closed, the water will flow upward into the tank mulate therein till it rises sufficiently to lift the float l0 and turn the cam 6 and depress the follower N, and thus close the ports of the distributor. But suppose that water is now drawn from the delivery-pipe exhaust-faucet, the water will first exhaust from the deliverypipe H, then from the tank T, (passing down through the pipe 3,) until the water in the tank is lowered away from the float 10, and the spring 5 lifts the follower N and opens the ports of the distributor. pass through the distributeruntil the exhaust is closed and sufficient water accumulates in the tank to again lift the float and depress the follower, thereby closing the ports of the distributer and cutting off -the flow, as before.

The water that passes through the port and the pipe in may be measured by any suitable measuring device; but the mechanism which I employ for this purpose, and would recommend to others, is fully shown in the accompanying drawings, and the same I will now proceed to describe. This mechanism comprises two buckets adjacent to each other, and mounted upon a rock-shaft, 11, as fully shown in Fig. 4. These ports, arranged as fully shown in Fig. 4, are placed in a suitable easing, 15. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) The shaft 14 is journaled to permit rocking motion for tilting the buckets. The amount of motion is limited bythe stops 25 26, and may be modified by the screw 27, as shown. The buckets are balanced by a weight, 16, which isadjustably mounted on the rod 17, and may be so located on the rod as to balance a given quantity-say one ounce, more or less-of water in the bucket, and any excess of that quantityiu the bucket will depress it, turn the shaft over, and empty the contents of the bucket to run out. These buckets are located under the pipe at in such manner that when either one of the buckets tilts over to empty its contents, the other bucket is by this operation brought up under the pipe to be filled, and vice versa. In this way all water that T, and will accu-' The fluid will then passes through the pipe in will be measured in one or the other of these buckets, which will be continuously filling and emptying so long as the ports of the distributer remain open. The fluid empties from these buckets directly into the case 15, and is conducted therefrom through a suitable pipe to the do livery-pipe H, or, instead of this, it may empty directly into the tanks T, or allowed to waste.

Gonneetedwith the shaft 1-1 is a mechanism consisting of the usual registering mechanism for registering the movements of the shaft upon an ordinaryindicator. (Not shown.) These mechanisms are common, and will not be described here. In the distributer represented in Fig. 5, the eductionports e are equal to each other in size. This formation is the most desirable, as with this construction and arrangement the frictional conditions of passage of the liquid through the ports remain always the same and equal to each other, and the most accurate measurement can be seen red with this construction. In Fig. (i of the drawings, however, I have represented a modified form of distributer. This differs from the one already mentioned only in having the ports a unequal to each other in size. It has one small and one large port, 0, and these ports are formed so that the water which passes through the smaller port will be one one-hundredth or other proportional part of as much as passes through the larger port at the same time. To this end due allowance must be made for the added friction developed by friction passing through the smaller holethat is to say, the friction developed by fluid passing through the small hole will be more than one one-hundredth times as much as that of one hundred times as much passing through a hole one hundred times as large. Therefore, to get anything like exact measurement, the ports must be out of proportion sufficientl y to compensate for this unproportional friction. This allowance can be easily figured when the size of either port is determined upon, and with the proper gradation of size the conditions are nearly equal, though, as before stated, I prefer to make the ports of equal size. The verticalmeasurement of the ports is equal in all cases, to insure the continuation of the gradation while the ports IOO are being closed by the follower passing up and down before them. It will be observed that the supply-pipe and distributer are located above the delivery-pipe. This arrangement obviates the usual back-pressure and, further, allows the measured fluid to be exhausted back into the delivery-pipe below the measuring device, as shown in Fig. 1, and described above.

The object of this invention is to ascertain the quantity of fluid taken from a pipe or reservoir and delivered at the port of exhaust. To this end we regard the quantity passed through the measuring-port as the unit of measure, and if the ports are equal we have only to multiply this quantity by the number of eduction-ports and we get the desired result.

If the ports are unequal in size,we must multiply the quantity of water passed through the smallest port by the product of the size of this port, (less all allowance made to equalize the frictional condition of passage, as described,) divided into the size of all the cduction-ports added together. I

What I claim as of my invention, and desire by Letters Patent to secure, is

1. The combination of the distributer A, havinginduction and eduction ports, the follower N adapted to reciprocate vertically with: in the distribu'ter A to open and close the eduction-ports, a spring, 5, adapted to keepsaid ports normally open, and automatic mechanism for operating the said follower to close the said ports, substantially as described. I

2. The combination of the distributer A, the follower N, and described means consisting of spring 5, float 10, tank '1, and connecting mechanisms for effecting the movement of the follower N to open and close the ports of the distributer, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the induction-pipe F, the distributer A, haying eduction-ports, the follower N, adapted to operate to open and close said eduction-ports, and the elastic cushion 20, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the distributor having interior chamber and ports, substantially as described, the follower located in said chamber and having groovedchamber 21, substantiall y as described.

5. In an organized mechanism of substantially the construction described, and in combination, a device for distributing fluid, having an induction-port for receiving fluid and eduction-ports for discharging fluid, a supplypipe connecting with the induction-port and a 1 delivery-pipe communicating with all but one of the eduction-ports, a measuring device communicating with the one eduction-port and adapted to measure the fluid discharged therefrom, a tank communicating with the delivcry-pipe and adapted to receive fluid therefrom, mechanism for opening and closing the ports of the distributing device or for shuttlng it off altogether, said means being in communication with the water in the tank and adapted to be set in motion by the rising and falling of this water, substantially as described.

D. A. SUTHERL AND.

Witnesses:

O. B; TUTTLE, O. MAYO. 

